Vertical piano action



y 1949- v. M. MONTOYA 2,469,308

VER'I. I CAL PIANO ACTION Filed Dec. 11, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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May 3, 1949. v. M. MONTOYA VERTICAL PIANO ACTION Filed Dec. 11, 1947 2Sheets-Sheet 2 /1 u Y m Nwv i QM, Sm MN WW m h 9 Wm p m M \vN. b NW u o0 N v AN WMTRQNI \N ha --x-w J INVEN TOR Z2cf0r7/Z7/Z072 Z a MAW m mwmATI'U RN EYE Patented May 3, 1949 -LUN. l-TED "ii-STAT ES PATENT O FFICEVERTICAL PIANO'ZACTION Victor 'M-IMontoya, Caracas; VenezuelaApplicat-ioniDecember ill, -1947-",-Serial- No. 790,991

(Clv84,-240) Claims.

- This invention relates to: an improved? piano :action for uprightpianos through-whichthe hamvmer, is actuated by a -k ey,.and,inparticular an improvedbasefor-the impacting member-wherein thewbaseis provided with three interactingsurfaces. facilitating the coactionthereofwith the impelling elements; an improved back icheck and wirepost; animproved base :control lever,-. and also. the incorporation ofan vimpelling member lcontrol lever.

The purpose :of this invention is to. provide an improved I piano,action which provides increased mechanical capacity therebyfulfilling:,mi-nute playing requirements.

Various combinations of levers and mechanical instrumentalities; havebeen provided for" transmitting the action-of a piano kevto a hammer andparticularly. irrthe construction of .an upright -pian o,-,it. isnecessary .thatthe operating, parts ,.--be i-ncorporated'therein in adefinite relationsin orderv that the piano. will fulfill,-certain.requirements andhavegood tonal quality. One.-of the essentialsisthatthe key touch, which-is thenormall amount of force that thefingenot arplayer appliesto a key in order to obtainfrom-the-string I,the desired vibrating power and resonance, should bev approximately twoto three ounces which ,is

standard for. all pianos. Theleverage of the vkey 'levers'in modernupright pianos islsuch that a. key 1 lever will-lift one end of, :thewippenl operatively connected to its inner end, twoethirds of the.distance that-the keylever-is depressed, as this ratio has beenfoundbyyexperience togiveuthe most satisfactory results. Therelation of :thekey lever .to the several.- parts .of the action. also must be..maintainedwithscientific exactness to .enable such parts-to moverelative to .one another with av minimum of friction and to-obtain the..most satisfactory results with the modern requirements of keytouch;depth of tOllChy. key. lever leverage, and the amount of. force withwhich the hammer ,hitsthestring at itsstriking point,

.. .Wlththese requirements in mind this. invention ..contemplates anew.uprightpianohactionl with .increased. mechanical capacity realizedin.the effective hammer impact by. key impulse from any design andrearrange the elements of a piano action for upright pianos whereingreater efficiency and accuracyis-obtained between the key and thehammer.

. ,Another object of theinvention is ,to; provide,

. .in a, piano action,- increased mechanical" capacity ithat fulfillsminute playing" requirements.

iA-furtherobject 'ofthe invention is to -provide "an'improved-piano-action which is of a simple and economical construction.

(With these, and Lotherpbjects and advantages :;;in view .theinvention-consists in the -newand ;novel..combmation, construction, and,arrange- :ment of-parts as hereinafter more fully described,

-: :set ,forth in the claims appended hereto, and. disclosed. in: theaccompanying; drawings, iorming part. hereof, wherein:

-Figure Iris. a view showing, a sectionithrough anuprightpianowithpartsof-the pianowshown in section and theshammerandactuating...parts thereof shownin elevation,- illustrating the-hamme):in the position :of rest.

I Figure 2 is a similar view showing the position 110f thewelements-atthe: point ofimpact ofsthe *hammerwith the Wire.

Figure 3 is. a similar view showingthe position of; the parts after thehammer rebound.

:. Figure 4is a also a similar view. illustratingthe :ipositionsi ofthe. parts at the time the key. is (re- .leased.

,--.Referring: now. to the drawings wherein. like i -referencepharacters indicate. corresponding .parts the improved a hammer action;of this invention includes ahammer butt or base 10, a Jack .I l, a

r 1 :Wippen; I 2, a jack control lever 3, a hammer. butt .controldeverl4, aback clieckll5, and other asso- .ciated,instrumentalities.

:The hammer butt 10 is formed as illustrated in the drawings with apadded step] 6 positioned tOi coact with the-jack ll, a felt. knob'Il.-posi- .ztionedltoengage. the. lever 14, and amend. l8 adaptedto beengagedby the pad 19 of theback zchecksl 5. The hammer butt is pivotallymounted ..-=on:the supportrail 20 by apin H m the end of a flange 22,and av hammer 23 is supported there on by a-post .24. .The post 24 rests.on a-pad 25 won aback rail 25 atthe completion of the stroke.

The..lower end of the .jack lL-is pivotally mountedby a. pin 21. in asocket 28in theupper .side of vthewippen l2. and .thewippen is carriedby the lower edge of the support rail '20'through .a,flange29 and apin30. The. wippen is provided with anarcuate boss 3!..having. a pad32thereon bywhichitis engaged by, a screw/.133 vonthe end of a key 34 asillustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The end ofthe key rests upon a pad-35.0na .base 36 and when. the. outer end. of the key is pressed downward thisend moves upward forcing the Wippen upward, whichthrough the jack ILforces the hammer butt upward wherein. thehammer is actuated .toistrikethe wire "31,. as shown in Figure .2.

,Thejack. control lever I3 .is, pivotally mounted .,.by,a pin 38 onthelower. end ofthe jack H and .thenouter end..39. thereof .is resilientlyheld out- ,.wa1-d. by. a spring 40 on. a. screw. 4! which isgthreadedninto the lower end of. the jack. 'The inner end ,of the. lever13 is, provided, with, a knob 42 that is positioned to contact a,pad'43fof a stop .rail Men the rail 20 as the jack moves upward.

. Thehammer butt control lever I4 is also pivot-'..;allymountedhonthelack II with .the inner .end

thereof held by a pin 45, and on the upper surface of the lever is aprojection 46 that engages the knob ll of the hammer butt, as shown inFigure l. The lower surface of the lever I4 is provided with a clip 4'!that holds the upper end of a spring 48, the lower end of which ispivotally mounted on the jack l l by a pin 49, and the spring isresiliently held upward by a screw 50 which bears against an extensionof the lower end. The tension of the spring is adjusted by the screw 50.

The outer end of the lever 14 is provided with a fork 5! in which a wire52 is positioned, and the back check l5 which has a pad thereon ismounted on the upper end of the wire. The lower end of the wire is heldin the end of the wippen and as the wippen is actuated the back checkalso moves upward so that it is positioned to engage the end l8 of thehammer butt after the hammer rebound as shown in Figure 3.

The hammer is resiliently urged backward by a spring 54 mounted in arail 55 and held with the lower end of the spring bearing against thehammer butt 5% between ears 56.

With the parts arranged in this manner the impulse from the piano key 34actuates the wippen l2 wherein the wippen forces the jack upwardimpacting the hammer butt and driving the hammer against the wire. Thelever 13 governs the jack action and this is controlled by thecombination of the stop 44 with the spring 49. In this movement theupper end of the jack slides along the inclined surface of the step l6,as shown in Figure 3, and in the rebound the knob l? contacts theprojection 46 of the lever M with the back check l5 stopping the hammerbutt at half recoil. By this means increased mechanical capacity of thepiano action is accomplished as in releasing the key lever, the partsdescend accordingly except the lever M, which reacts, retaining thehammer butt [0, permitting the jack H to gain attack position though keyis at half up course.

The improved piano action of this invention, therefore, includes thefive basic features, such as the new and improved shape of the impactingmember base, wherein the base is provided with three interactingsurfaces which facilitate the coaction therewith of the impelling memberand the associated parts, the improved back check and wire post, theimproved base control lever, and also the addition of a control leverfor the impelling member. With these improvements the piano actionfulfills minute playing requirements.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in the details ofthe improvements without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An upright piano action, comprising a hammer having a butt, a jackpositioned to impact the butt of the hammer in the upward movementthereof, a wippen positioned to be engaged by a piano key and adapted toactuate the jack, a back check carried by the wippen positioned tocontact the hammer butt, a support rail on which the hammer butt andwippen are pivotally mounted, a jack control lever pivotally mounted onthe jack with one end extending toward the support rail, said railhaving a stop thereon positioned to be engaged by the extending end ofthe said control lever, and means adjusting the position of said controllever.

2. An upright piano action, comprising a hammer having a butt, a jackpositioned to impact the butt of the hammer with upward movementthereof, a wippen positioned to be engaged by a. piano key and adaptedto actuate the jack, 2. back check carried by the wippen positioned tocontact the hammer butt, a hammer butt control lever carried by the jackand pivotally attached thereto, said hammer butt control lever having aprojection on the upper surface and a fork in the outer end in which theback check is positioned, a knob on the hammer butt positioned tocontact the projection of the control lever, a spring on the jack urgingthe said control lever upward, and means adjusting the tension of saidspring.

3. In an upright piano action, the combination, which comprises, ahammer having a base, a jack positioned to actuate the hammer throughthe base, a wippen positioned to be engaged by a piano key, a supportrail carrying the hammer base and wippen and having a stop thereon, ajack control lever pivotally mounted on the jack having a knob on oneend positioned to contact the stop on the rail, means adjusting theposition of the control lever, a control lever pivotally mounted on thejack positioned to be contacted by the hammer base, means resilientlyurging the control lever and the base upward, and a back check carriedby the wippen and positioned to be contacted by the hammer base.

4. In a piano action including a supporting rail, a hammer, a basepivotally mounting the hammer on the rail, 2. jack, a wippen, and a key,the combination, which comprises, five basic features including aplurality of interacting surfaces on the base, one of said surfacespositioned to contact with the jack in the impelling action, a backcheck, a wire post supporting the back check from the wippen positioningthe said back check to coact with one of the surfaces of the base, abase control lever pivotally mounted on the jack and positioned to coactwith one of the surfaces of the base, and a control lever also pivotallymounted on the jack and positioned to coact with a stop on the rail tolimit the operative travel of the jack.

5. A piano action for upright pianos comprising improvements in fivebasic features including an impacting member base having a plurality ofinteracting surfaces facilitating the coaction thereof with associatedelements, a wippen, a back check carried by the wippen and positioned tobe contacted by a surface of the base, a first control lever positionedto coact with another surface of the base for controlling the action ofthe said back check, an impelling member on which the control lever ispivotally mounted coasting with still another surface of the base, asecond control lever for the impelling member pivotally mounted on saidimpelling member for limiting the operative movement thereof, and meansfor adjusting the second control lever.

VICTOR M. MONTOYA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 896,763 Schimmel Aug, 25, 19081,126,931 Abendscheim et a1. Feb. 2, 1915 1,301,908 Clutsam Apr. 29,1919 2,273,789 Prevost Feb. 1'7, 1942

